Dear Mary
Q. We have friends to stay each year in Scotland and it’s always a pleasure. Guests know there is signal…
Dear Mary
Q. I import a range of very high-quality food products from Europe into the UK. They are regarded as the…
Dear Mary
Q. Having retired, my husband is now an enthusiastic observer of the goldfinches, greenfinches and bullfinches in our garden. Their…
Dear Mary
Q. We have received a ‘save the week’ card from friends who take a villa abroad every year. We usually…
Dear Mary
Q. I am a member of a well-known country house opera society, and I organise annual trips to performances for…
Dear Mary
Q. Re getting away from bores at drinks parties (Dear Mary, 20 May). I take issue with the idea that…
Dear Mary
Q. My mother always told me that only boring people are bored. However she never got stuck at a drinks…
Dear Mary
Q. My 23-year-old son has taught himself to play the piano, learning the theme tune to The Truman Show without…
Dear Mary
Q. I have a very good cleaner who comes once a week. She is far more efficient than anyone I’ve…
Dear Mary
Q. New colleagues invited us to lunch but didn’t warn us that the clippings had not been cleared up from…
Dear Mary
Q. May I pass on a tip to readers wishing to reject a hopeful romantic partner without hurting their feelings?…
Dear Mary
Q. My aunt lives in a small market town with narrow roads and limited parking. A neighbour opposite acquired a…
Dear Mary
A friend of a friend hosted an engagement party in a London hotel. Invitations had gone out six weeks beforehand,…
Dear Mary
Q. As an artist I’m indebted to my sponsor. I also like him, but not his habit of ringing me…
Dear Mary
Q. We had some people up from London for a very long weekend. We put on an extra-special do, costing…
Dear Mary
Q. Living in a large house in the country within striking distance of a motorway, we get a lot of…
Dear Mary
Q. Most of my friends have small children and being mostly media types in west London, have given them silly…
Dear Mary
Q. Most of my friends have small children and being mostly media types in west London, have given them silly…
Dear Mary
My partner has become a recycling fascist. She checks everything I put into the bin. I received two bollockings today alone…
Dear Mary
My partner has become a recycling fascist. She checks everything I put into the bin. I received two bollockings today alone…
Dear Mary
Q. I’ve listened to the radio to deal with insomnia for years (Dear Mary, 18 February) and your suggestion of…
Dear Mary
Q. I’ve listened to the radio to deal with insomnia for years (Dear Mary, 18 February) and your suggestion of…
Dear Mary
Q. My husband and I like to go to concerts and recitals but he is an artist with a very…
Dear Mary
Q. My husband and I like to go to concerts and recitals but he is an artist with a very…
Dear Mary
Q. A (very attractive) man I knew at university invited me to a party given by him and his girlfriend.…
